1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connector devices that have communication receptacles mounted therein. In particular, the present invention relates to communication receptacles that are flush mounted on a surface such as a wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Communication receptacles, such as the one shown in the Hughes et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,458, are installed in walls or on panel boards of various communication equipment to be used as connectors in a communication system. The receptacle has a housing which is placed within a cavity in the wall surface and a plug receiving end which is positioned proximate the plane of the wall surface. The receptacle is typically positioned in at least two known methods.
In the first method, the receptacle snaps into grooves or the like located on the edge of the cavity, as shown in the Hughes et al patent. This method required the edge of the cavity to fit precisely around the housing of the receptacle to cover the opening of the cavity and hold the receptacle.
In the second method, the receptacle is fixed to a flat metal framework that extends across the cavity. The metal framework is typically attached to an electrical box in the cavity. The metal framework has holes which are aligned with threaded holes in the electrical box. The framework is then attached to the electrical box by screws extending through the holes in the metal framework and threadably engaging the threaded holes in the electrical box. The receptacle is generally attached to the metal framework by a snap connection. A cover plate with a receptacle opening is attached to the metal framework with screws. The plug receiving end of the receptacle extends through the opening and the cover plate hides the cavity from view. The second method has the disadvantage of three separate components that need to be aligned and attached to each other to install the receptacle.
Terminals are sometimes included on the rear side of the receptacle for conductively connecting the receptacle to wires which are conductively connected to the communication system. Since the receptacle is typically small, only a limited number of terminal posts, generally four, can possibly be included on the back of the receptacle, limiting the number of conductive connections to the receptacle. In other situations, the receptacle has no terminals, but has electrical wires running from the back of the receptacle that are sufficiently long enough to be conductively connected to a central terminal board in the communication system. The wires extending from the receptacle must be of sufficient length to reach the central terminal board. Thus, the receptacle has to have wires of sufficient length to fit most applications or its application is limited.